Conversation with a robot and a dog. – By @Antonio_line_
By Antonio Castellano
Conversation with a robot and a dog.
Nighttime. The light of the sleeping city illuminates the clouds in a dark, pink tone. Steam is coming up from the manhole.
The sound of steps echoing break the silence. A guy on his 30th birthday is walking through the heavy air. He’s with a dog and a robot.
‘I’m living and leaving the best age of my life. How can I freeze time?’
‘You can not do it, human. No solution has found yet. Time will keep running making things change. Your body material will get weaker and weaker. But do not worry human, because very soon the intelligence of my species will make you live forever. At least is what humans are asking to us’ said the robot.
‘That’s not exactly what I want…’ he replied.
The dog felt the sadness in the guy’s heart. It cuddled its friend and said ‘Buddy, it’s ok! Maybe it’s true we can’t stop time but now you are living the best time of your life, just stay with it and enjoy it! I’m with you right now. You take care of me and I’ll take care of you’.
The guy sadly smiled and cuddle his friend on 4 legs. They kept walking. Empty spirit bottles were placed around the bins on the side of the road. Some computing sounds were heard from the inside hardware of the robot.
“Human, time is what makes your human stuff special. What would happen if you could really stop time and experience this moment every day, forever?’.
‘I would be very happy I suppose. I would finally have confidence, money and the possibility to take everything from life’.
‘You will be bored soon because you’d know you’d have access to these things for time long’.
‘No, I wouldn’t!’
‘Buddy, how often are you grateful for being able to see colours?’ said the dog.
‘I…’
‘Human, when you have something and you feel you are not going to lose it, you just stop appreciate it and it loses value on your perspective. Without the uncertainty and the fear that time gives you as a gift, you, human, probably won’t do anything. What moves you is fear. Of being alone, of dying, and these are consequences of time. When we will give you the power to live forever, you will lose all the meaning of life. How many things are you not going to do today just because you have time in the future do them? But, what if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? Every second would be so important and meaningful for you. And, as well, you will do the things only the very meaningful for you, the things you love’.
The guy wavered. He searched his memories. Something was changing.
‘So, how do you guys face the time?’ the guys asked his friends.
The dog barked: ‘I don’t really have the concept of time in my mind. I don’t know what the future is. I just need my bowl filled with food, your attention and your love my buddy! That is all! It’s what makes me happy. I like to be happy! And I aim to be happy every day.’
‘What about you, Robot?’
‘For me, time is just a succession of numbers. It is what I need to compute the data I collect. I rely on it as everything on this planet.’
The guy looked at the clouds.
The robot continued: ‘Time and space are co-dependent. Time exists only in relationship with a space’
‘Robot, you are making things too complicated! Buddy, if it says it’s linked to space, use the space as a medium! Your space is your body, so focus on your body, on its feeling!’
‘You mean I should just be mindfulness?’
‘Yes! And every period of life has is good things and bad things! it’s up to you to search for it and it’s your choice to see the bowl half full or half empty’
‘Maybe… you are right’
The silence was broken by the birdsong.
‘Emotions being…” buzzed the Robot.
The dog smiled.
‘Thank you for this talk, my friends,’ said the guy, ‘thank you for your time’.
It was morning.